


(Not So) Hidden Agenda

by Lycaste



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Crack, Dysfunctional Relationships, Exhibitionism, Explicit Sexual Content, Fingering, Mildly Dubious Consent, Orgasm Denial, Other, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Power Dynamics, Psychological Warfare, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Voyeurism, failed attempts at public humiliation, thundercracker's burgeoning identity crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 04:01:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lycaste/pseuds/Lycaste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Thundercracker and his Decepticon colleagues, meetings with Megatron usually follow a predictable pattern: rousing speech, small issues, proposed plot against the Autobots of dubious validity, argue with Starscream, physical fight with Starscream, rousing speech. Yet today Megatron is trying a new method of dealing with his treacherous second-in-command, much to the aroused horror of Starscream’s trinemates. PWP. Thundercracker's POV.</p><p>Inspired by <a href="http://dirty-tf-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/96533519296/image-plain-gray-text-on-a-blue-background-text">this post</a> on dirty-tf-headcanons. Details inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Not So) Hidden Agenda

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a brilliant post on dirty-tf-headcanons by anonymous user Erika. _Megatron likes to hold ship meetings with Starscream in his lap, casually fingering him until he’s a gasping, pleading mess in front of the entire crew. His legs get spread wide open by Megatron’s massive thighs, letting everyone get a good view. Starscream likes ship meetings more than any other SIC duty._
> 
> I read that and thought, "Yes. YES! THAT HAPPENS. But oh scrap, imagine the _first time_ it happened!"
> 
> I get the feeling the post was intended for the show Prime, but I set it in the IDW verse. So millions of years ago, when the Decepticons were kickin' ass across the galaxy and dreaming of Phase Seven.
> 
> Thanks to Erika for their gorgeous mind, and thanks to the lovely mod(s?) at dirty-tf-headcanons for answering my question about fics inspired by blog posts.
> 
> This fic makes use of a bit of Seeker fanon that we all know and love: the trine bond! I've seen this bond rendered a few different ways in writing. ::Sometimes like this::, or with double brackets. While these always looks great to me on other people's fics, it kind of made my head spin here. There's a lot of private conversation, so for the sake of this fic, _"I just represented private bond speak with italicized quotes."_ Hopefully that's not too confusing. I truly thought it was easier to read that way. Whether you imagine this bond as digital/electronic or spark/telepathic, that's up to you. Either way, Thundercracker and Skywarp can feel everything...

 

 

Thundercracker’s logic processor nearly malfunctioned when Skywarp suggested that they show up to the ship's meeting early.

Skywarp never wanted to arrive early. He never wanted to go at all, despite Megatron's well-known views on attendance. Usually Thundercracker had to drag his trinemate to information sessions, but that morning the younger Seeker had gone willingly. That alone was enough to make Thundercracker suspicious. The fact that Skywarp had spent the last five minutes fiddling with the empty chair next to them wasn't helping.

"What do you think this meeting's about?" Thundercracker's deep rumble reverberated through the empty room. He scowled and turned down his audio output. Hopefully his trine could get through this meeting without attracting a lot of attention. Although given how Starscream had been antagonizing Megatron lately, that was unlikely.

"I dunno," said Skywarp. "Something about crushing the Autobots, probably." He flipped the chair on its side and inspected the rear right leg.

Thundercracker tried to peer over the wing that was conveniently blocking his view. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Skywarp grunted and twisted his wrist. A metal bolt came lose in his hand.

"Stop that," said Thundercracker. "Megatron will kill you if he catches you doing that."

"Hang on. This is gonna be great." Skywarp flipped the chair right side up and set it down gently. "I hope Blitzwing sits here."

The door slid open, admitting the Coneheads and a few others. They sat across the table and began their own conversation. Soon commlinks and voices were buzzing with the low, nervous chatter that preceded most meetings with Megatron. The gossip and strategy. Speculations about their glorious leader's mood. It was commonly accepted that if someone were to bear the brunt of a bad meeting, it would be Starscream. But that was no guarantee, hence the last minute plans to stay on Megatron's good side.

Thundercracker's plan involved not getting caught defacing Decepticon property. Skywarp was still tampering with the chair. _"Seriously,"_ he barked over the trine bond. _"Stop."_

"I'm done. I'm done." Skywarp sat back and put his arms behind his head. "Killjoy."

Before Thundercracker could respond, a heavy clanking reverberated behind him. Like an anchor dropping on dry shore. Or the sound of someone with hooks for feet. Vos.

Thundercracker shot Skywarp a pained look. _"Frag me."_

 _"Don't blow your capacitors,"_ said Skywarp, _"but the entire DJD just parked themselves behind you."_

_""Even Tarn?"_

_""He could reach out and stroke your wingtip. Don't say anything weird."_

Spark pulsing, Thundercracker forced down the panic that threatened to sizzle through his wires. They said that Tarn could smell treacherous thoughts, that he could topple a mech's carefully constructed lies with a word. But surely he couldn't read minds, not like Soundwave.

Could he?

Thundercracker kept his head forward, reducing the risk of optic contact with the mechs behind him. He tweaked his stabilizers and tried to make himself more comfortable. There was nothing to worry about. After all, he was a loyal Decepticon.

More soldiers filtered in, and seats started filling up quickly. Skywarp clenched a fist as Overlord pulled out the empty chair next to them. It squeaked and groaned when the huge mech sat down, but held fast. He waved at them and flashed a cheeky grin, clearly sensing the Seekers' discomfort.

 _"Primus dammit, Warp."_ Thundercracker lifted his fingers in acknowledgement but didn't smile back. Now _this_ might be something to worry about. Overlord was equally as murderous as the DJD, and his seat breaking out from under him was sure to put him in a killing mood.

 _"Huh,"_ said Skywarp. He gazed longingly at the legs of the chair. _"Oops."_

 _“Actions have consequences,”_ said Thundercracker. _"I can’t believe I have to say that again. If he doesn't kill you, I'm going to."_

_"Us, TC. Kill us. We're in this together now."_

The chatter fell abruptly silent, and Thundercracker didn't need to turn around to know that Megatron had walked in. Flanked by Starscream and Soundwave, the warlord strode to the front of the room and sat at the head of the table. Soundwave sat to his left, straightened up silently, and waited.

Starscream strutted to the seat on the right and flopped into it with an annoyed huff. He leaned back and put his legs on the table, only to sneer and remove them at the first sharp glare from Megatron.

"My Decepticons," began Megatron, "today marks another chapter in our struggle against Autobot oppression. While I understand that lack of action can lead to despair for warriors such as us, never forget that reprisal is your fuel, vengeance is your pastime. Our era is still dawning, and soon the Autobots and the rest of the universe will kneel before justice. The justice of the Decepticon Empire!"

"All hail Megatron!" shouted the crowd.

Thundercracker shouted along with them, spirits slightly buoyed by the power of the familiar chant. His wings settled a bit from their hiked-up position. It would be fine. He just had to get through the meeting and keep himself and Skywarp out of trouble.

Megatron spread out a few datapads and an offline holo-poster. "We have much to cover today before I unveil my latest battle strategy against the Autobots."

"Strategy?” said Starscream in a fake whisper, one loud enough for everyone to hear. “More like latest debacle.”

Megatron didn't react. "Let's begin. First order of business." He turned to Starscream and pointed to his own legs. "Get in my lap, Starscream."

Starscream gaped for a few moments before scoffing. "What?"

"Get in my lap," said Megatron. "I won't ask you again."

The thrum of a fusion cannon proved a powerful motivator. Starscream got up and perched himself on the edge of Megatron's lap. A disgusted frown appeared on his face, frame tense as though he'd transform and fly away at any second.

Thundercracker's fuel pump quivered. This didn't bode well. Starscream may be an aft, but he was still a trinemate. Seeing him get hurt always left a nagging unease in Thundercracker's spark, even when the screechy glitch deserved it.

 _”You look cute there, Screamer,"_ snickered Skywarp through the bond.

Nothing came back to them, not even an errant emotion. Starscream ignored them completely and stuck his nose in the air.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" asked Megatron. He raised a hand, as though to strike, but then slapped it down on Starscream’s thigh and began rubbing his second's plating. Up and down his upper leg, dangerously close to his interface panel. "As many of you are aware," Megatron said, "one of the main energon filtration tanks went offline last night. Hook, how are the repairs coming?"

"They're, uh, we should be done in three hours or so. Good as new," said Hook. The other Constructicons bumped and jostled him, each trying to get the perfect view. Their six helms were fixated on Megatron’s wandering fingers.

Starscream was fixated on them as well, staring at the offending limb like it was a scraplette infection.

"I see," said Megatron. He tapped the panel between Starscream’s legs. "Open this."

"Have you lost it?” The red Seeker’s voice reached a pitch that made everyone wince. “You can't be serious!"

Megatron's free hand landed on a sleek wing. "I'm deadly serious." He began to apply pressure, making metal squeal. "Open. Or I'll rip this off."

"You slow-transforming, old, bucketheaded slagger." Starscream spat insults but obeyed, no doubt believing the threat. The sound of his panel sliding back was deafening in the small meeting space. "Happy now, pervert?" He opened completely, exposing his prim and polished equipment to everyone. "Only way you'll get to see it."

"I think we've all seen it, Starscream,” said Megatron.

A low murmur rippled through the crowd. Optics met and broke away as everyone furtively surveyed their neighbors for social cues on how to react. Overlord shifted in his creaky chair, grin so wide it threatened to engulf the entire room.

Shame made Thundercracker's turbines spin. This wasn't right. Starscream was a _Seeker,_ for Pit's sake. A superior machine designed for the hunt. It was a disgrace to see him pulled further into their leader's lap, to see his legs spread wide over silver thighs, his gorgeous wings spanning the width of Megatron's endless frame. To see the flexible metal of Starscream's swollen-

Thundercracker shook his head. Frag. This was also kind of hot. Starscream’s body was _forged_ to be admired, and Megatron showed it off so confidently. He should really look away. Any second now.

Skywarp showed no such signs of being conflicted. _"Is it me,"_ he said, _"or is Megs way calmer than normal?"_

_"Should we...should we do something about this?"_

_"And get slagged? No thanks. Starscream probably did something to deserve this. He's on his own."_

_"But..."_

_"But nothing,"_ said Skywarp. _"Just sit there and keep enjoying the show."_

_"I'm not enjoying this!"_

Skywarp patted him on the arm. _"Your field says otherwise."_ His expression softened, and the patting turned into a reassuring stroke. _"There's nothing we can do. Besides, Starscream doesn’t seem all that traumatized."_

He had a point. Starscream didn’t look upset. Actually, he was making a bored "get on with it" motion towards Megatron. That wasn’t the sign of a terrified mech. Maybe it was in everyone's best interests to shut up and wait it out.

"Soundwave," continued Megatron. His hand resumed the sluggish circles towards Starscream's interface array. "Have you analyzed the unknown transmission we picked up this morning?"

Soundwave’s response was the series of clicks that occurred when a vocalizer failed to boot. He rubbed at his temple, as though he were in pain.

"Answer him!" snapped Starscream. When Megatron turned to glare, the Seeker shrugged. "What? I'm helping you."

Soundwave managed to snap into his usual professionalism. "Transmission origin: nearby planet known as Videre-III. Inhabitants recently discovered quantum jump capability."

"I see," said Megatron. He stopped, hovering near the apex of Starscream's spread legs. "Do they have any resources we could use?"

"Un-unkown at this time, Lord Megatron."

Thundercracker barely registered Soundwave's uncharacteristic stutter. Megatron was so close. This was a game, right? Some bizarre lesson. He wasn’t really going to molest Starscream at a public meeting in front of everyone.

Megatron tipped his head thoughtfully. "We don't have time to divert course to attack. Monitor them for now, Soundwave. Let me know if you notice anything useful."

"As...you...command..."

"Very good." Without taking his gaze off the mechs assembled before him, Megatron slowly dipped his middle finger into Starscream's heated frame, filling him up to the second knuckle joint.

And the stoic façade crumbled, even faster than Thundercracker would have guessed. Starscream's heel thruster flared, singeing the table and covering him and Megatron in a shower of sparks. He arched shamelessly and whimpered, a soft little sound that was almost drowned out by every single cooling fan in the room coming on at once.

A freight train of stimuli barreled into Thundercracker. It started with a sweet, delicious ache radiating from his valve to his spark, and ended in a maelstrom of emotion. Choking hatred for Megatron rose within him. How _dare_ their ineffectual, pathetic leader touch him? And yet, another part of him throbbed with fervent desire. How dare their commanding, sexy leader not touch him _more?_

Thundercracker doubled over with a grunt. The energon in his lines ran like hot syrup, burning him with alternating lust and resentment. Someday, when _he_ was leader of the Decepti-

Oh. These weren’t his emotions. They were Starscream's.

Next to him, Skywarp trembled. _"Starscream, dampen your end of the bond."_

 _"Starscream, please,"_ cried Thundercracker.

 _"We can feel this, you selfish piece of scrap,"_ said Skywarp. He canted his hips and hissed static. _"Primus, he's got big fingers."_

Starscream wasn't responding. Thundercracker gripped the edge of the table as coils of fake pleasure raced through his systems. He tried to block his end completely, but it remained open. No matter what he did, sensors deep inside him flickered on, sending his processor blissful feedback and fury. His defenses were useless. As trineleader, Starscream had override codes and mental strength. Which suggested he was doing this on purpose. As if goading Megatron wasn't enough, he had to tease his trine too.

"The next item," continued Megatron as he gently moved his finger in and out, "is the matter of this graffiti near storage bay four." He held up a datapad with a picture on it of a crudely spray-painted sentence that read 'megatron luvs autobot spikes'.

An angry engine grumbled behind Thundercracker. He nearly jumped out of his armor when something grazed his back. _"Warp! Warp. Tarn tried to touch me."_

Skywarp threw a casual glance behind them before scooting closer. _"He's holding the back of your seat. Heh, he looks pretty offended but...slag, are you feeling this?"_

It was all Thundercracker was feeling. Sinfully good pressure. The blissful twitch and ripple inside of him. All sensations tinged with Starscream’s satisfaction. Combined with the terror of Tarn venting down his neck, it was starting to make him dizzy.

Megatron threw the datapad back on the table. "Now, we all know that I hate everything about the Autobots, including their spikes. And given how ubiquitous this knowledge is, the mere act of creating this foul sentence is nothing more than a..." He stared down at Starscream. "Cheap provocation." Without warning, he flicked his wrist and wriggled another finger into his panting second-in-command.

Afterburners firing, Starscream gritted his teeth. "Ah-"

Thundercracker dropped his head into his palms and held back a cry. That was...yes...that felt better than anything. And yet it didn't. It was a phantom perception, so real and satisfying one instant, only to fizzle into a hopeless taunt the next. A half-imagined pleasure, chased but never caught. Even as Megatron pushed in deeper.

 _Oh Primus._ And deeper.

Skywarp clutched Thundercracker’s knee in a sudden, painful grip. The smell of exhaust gas surrounded them both, although neither of them was actively smoking. Yet.

Megatron whipped his head down the line of mechs until he spied their resident scientist. "Shockwave, what have you discovered about this traitorous act?"

"The paint used was a standard Cybertronian decorative finish, widely available throughout the ship," said Shockwave. "The arrangement of the words lacks any penmechship patterns that would indicate a certain person. Unfortunately, Lord Megatron, the security cameras in that sector were manually shut off before the incident. At this time, I am unable to finger the culprit."

A chorus of strangled snickers and static swept through the Decepticons. Shockwave tilted his head, clearly trying to understand what was so funny.

Skywarp giggled. _"You hear that, TC? He said finger the-"_

_"Yeah, I got it."_

Behind them, Tarn cleared his vocalizer. His normally melodious voice sounded strained when he spoke. "My Master, if you desire, the DJD would be happy to lead an investigation-"

"Silence, Tarn," said Megatron. "Shockwave's on it." His face was a blank mask as he slowly, agonizingly, pulled his fingers out and sank them back in.

All haughtiness was gone from Starscream. "Megatron," he moaned. But Megatron held him fast with his other arm, rooting him in place, forcing him to contend with whatever pace the tyrant saw fit to grant.

 _"I hate you, Starscream,"_ commed Skywarp.

 _"We,"_ amended Thundercracker. _"We hate you. Both of us."_

Arousal surged through Thundercracker's integrated circuits, causing a painful build-up of pressure behind his optics. This was insane. Did this kind of thing happen on the other side? _"Skywarp,"_ he said, _"do you think Optimus Prime does this to Prowl?"_

 _"No,"_ said Skywarp, _"and that's why their meetings are the worst. Did you know Autobots rip a part of their aft plating off to make their badge? It's true. Deadlock told me."_ He threw a leg over Thundercracker's, and moved closer until he was half sitting in the blue Seeker's lap.

_"What are you doing?"_

_"I'm running out of coolant,"_ said Skywarp.

_"Well you're not gonna find any over here. Frag off, you're making it worse."_

Skywarp's wing quivered, and he fumbled behind himself to awkwardly trace Thundercracker's jawline. _"I'm so hot for you right now."_

 _"Shut. Up."_ Scorching pulses blazed through Thundercracker's core. Overheat warnings climbed his status queue. Diverting all processing power from his sensory systems, he continued to dampen his end of the bond the best he could. He tried to conjure unsexy images. Autobot prison camps. Bludgeon's interface panel. Pathetic life forms that couldn't fly.

He could hold it together. He had to.

In front of everyone, Starscream rocked into Megatron's touch. He lolled his head and sighed. "Yes, oooh yes, Megatron, like that. Please, please Leader, faster..."

Megatron ignored him. "Within two cycles we'll be at Station Zeolite for refuels and repairs. Astrotrain, what's the transport proposal when we arrive?"

For a long moment, Astrotrain didn't answer. It was only when Ramjet whacked him on the helm did he stammer, "I...uh...right. I'm sorry, what was the question again, Lord Megatron?" He grew increasingly pitiable with each syllable. The mechs on either side of him promptly stood and dragged their chairs away.

Thundercracker raised an optic ridge. Openly retreating from a mech that you thought was about to become Megatron's target was common in meetings. Far less common was when one of them was Sixshot.

“The transport proposal,” growled Megatron. “What is it?” He ground his palm against the rim of Starscream’s valve, brushing primed and ready nodes.

"Okay. Yeah," said Astrotrain. "That. I'm, um, I'm gonna fly it all there and then, you know, back again."

Megatron massaged slick sensors with his thumb, rewarding everyone with the sounds of turbines whirling and pained little screeches. "Fly it there and back again," he repeated. “What do you think of that, Starscream?”

"Good," panted Starscream. "Good plan." He clawed at Megatron's arm. "Can we get on with it?"

Thundercracker tightened his grip on Skywarp. A crackling thrill twisted his wires. He loved this, loved everyone's motor revving over him. Most of all, he loved being the center of Megatron's attention. The glitched old fool felt so good inside of him. He never wanted Megatron to let him go.

 _No!_ Thundercracker tried to shove the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't want that. Starscream wanted that. But he could feel it all, real enough to be his own desires. He could feel something else too. Old and familiar sentiments that brushed against the edges of his consciousness. Sentiments that Starscream had inadvertently broadcasted before, and violently denied whenever questioned about them.

 _"Full disclosure,"_ Skywarp said. _"I may have leaked some lubricant on you. And some hydraulic fluid. I'm sorry."_

Thundercracker groaned. Great. And now he could smell it.

"Yes, let's get on with it," said Megatron. He picked up a holo-poster and turned it on. It displayed a standard Decepticon emblem with the words 'All Hail Megaton' below it.

 _"I don't get it,"_ said Skywarp.

Thundercracker shook his head. _"Me neither."_

"Now this may seem like a simple misspelling perpetrated by a prosaic idiot," Megatron said. "But I suspect otherwise. How many of you have read my autobiography _Towards Peace_?"

Unsurprisingly, everyone raised their hand.

Thundercracker suspected many of them were lying. He put his hand up and glanced at Skywarp. _"You've read it?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Really?"_

_"Parts of it. It's really political and hard to understand,"_ said Skywarp. _”You don't think there's gonna be a quiz, do you?"_

Megatron scoffed at the affirmations. "But how many of you have truly dissected it. Yes, yes, Tarn and the DJD. I see you there. You can stop waving." He jostled Starscream in his lap. "Such a minor thing, but I can't help but suspect it's a deliberate mockery. Though only someone who's truly examined my work would pick up on it. And I only required my higher ranking officers to do that." A visible bead of lubricant meandered down his wrist. "Isn't that right, Starscream?"

Thundercracker shivered at the sound of Starscream's long, broken moan. Or maybe it was his own mouth that made that sound. Or Skywarp's. He couldn't really tell anymore, not when he was on the brink of…whatever this horrifyingly wonderful pseudo-overload thing was.

"S-Soundwave," Starscream said. "Soundwave's read it."

"So he has." Megatron turned to his third-in-command, his calm demeanor growing dark and oppressive. "Soundwave, did you put up this poster?"

"Negative," said Soundwave.

"Tarn?" asked Megatron.

"Never, my Master," said Tarn.

Megatron stared off into the distance, keeping a measured pace with his deeply buried fingers. "Then who could it be?"

Overlord raised his hand. "Lord Megatron, is the punishment for putting up the poster going to be...this?" He gestured to Starscream. "Because I-"

"Shut up, Overlord. I know it wasn't you," said Megatron. His pumping digits came to a sudden halt.

"What are you doing?" whimpered Starscream. "Don't stop now."

"I guess we'll just have to sit here and not move until someone confesses," said Megatron.

Starscream twisted and got some leverage, using it to kick Megatron hard in the leg. "You evil cogsucker," he cursed. "I'll destroy you for this." He continued to thrash and swear, voice growing high pitched and desperate.

 _"He's gonna crack like an old spark chamber,"_ said Skywarp.

Thundercracker agreed. Starscream always lost altitude when faced with overload denial, something he and Skywarp had used to their advantage on more than one occasion. Furious and needy Seekers turned everyone on, apparently.

An energon line somewhere on Starscream burst with a soft pop. Rivulets of pink trickled from his neck, dripped off his chest armor, and rained onto Megatron's arm.

"Oh," said Megatron calmly. He held onto the struggling Seeker with ease and cast a smirk at the crowd. "How it pains me to do this."

The fight ebbed out of Starscream moments later. He slumped and tipped his head back, pouting at Megatron. "It was me," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Lord Megatron. It was me."

Thundercracker's spark fell into his thrusters. _"Starscream..."_

 _"Megs'll slag him for sure,"_ said Skywarp. _"Or maybe not. You're right, this is bizarre. I think I like him better angry."_

At the head of the table, Megatron and Starscream only had optics for each other. "I should punish you for this," murmured Megatron, but he resumed the delicate movements of his hand.

"Fine. Punishment. Yes. But...let me overload first." Starscream nipped at the powerful neck cables just out of his reach. "Please?"

Rancid tightness settled in the back of Thundercracker’s throat as he watched Starscream beg on Megatron's thick fingers. Why was the most powerful Seeker trine in the Decepticon Army trembling and humiliated at their leader's whim? This wasn't what Megatron promised, back in the early days. This wasn't what the Decepticons were supposed to be.

When had they drifted so far from their original ideals? The destruction of all the inferior creatures, all the worlds that couldn't fight back. Adversaries without worth, conquest without victory. Hunts without any challenge and success without dignity. All of it beneath the strength and abilities of a true Seeker.

What were they even fighting for again?

More importantly, what should one bot do about it?

Thundercracker shuttered his optics and desperately tried to maintain control, but he couldn't stop _thinking_. What were they now? What was _he_? He was a Decepticon, right? That was his identity. A Seeker. The best of the best. _And please, please, Megatron..._

The emotions of three different mechs cycled through the elite trine's connection, faster and faster until they were nearly indistinguishable. Thundercracker couldn't keep up. One second he wanted to kill Megatron, the next he was sure he'd go mad if the silver mech stopped touching him. But the worst parts were the clear bursts of something that he didn't dare name, the bouts of longing that swam through his lines like corrosive poison.

Why the hell was Starscream sharing this with them? These powerful and private cravings. Did he not care anymore if they knew the depth of his desires? Was it all part of some manipulative conspiracy? Or, thought Thundercracker with a start, maybe he didn't realize quite how _much_ he was sharing. Maybe things were leaking through that he'd prefer to keep hidden. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a Starscream plot spun out of control.

Thundercracker's tanks threatened to purge. In the throes of lascivious torment, one thing was clear. He'd always known, really. That no matter what happened, if he ever had to make any choice, he wouldn't be taking Starscream with him.

And he wouldn't be taking Skywarp either.

He pulled Skywarp the rest of the way into his lap, ignoring the teleporter's baffled look. He drew Vosian flight symbols on the back of Skywarp's wing, an insignificant gesture that meant everything in a universe indifferent to the actions of one mech. Where one Seeker's moral dilemma amounted to nothing, and damnation and salvation existed merely as concepts.

It was all too much, too big for one person. _And he was contemplating seditious thoughts in a room with Soundwave and the DJD._

Skywarp frowned and rapped him gently on the helm. _"Hey, snap out of it."_ He shifted in Thundercracker's lap, so they were chest-to-wing like Megatron and Starscream. _"I can feel you thinking. Stop that. It's bad for you. Don't think, just feel."_ He onlined his flight systems, making his body rattle against Thundercracker's chest.

The vibrations went straight to his core. Thundercracker gasped into Skywarp's neck. _That_ felt good. _"Yes, Skywarp-"_

 _"Don't be anxious, TC. Everything's fine. If you overload, no one's gonna notice."_ Skywarp cast a sidelong look at some of their colleagues. _"This is affecting everyone. I think Dirge is officially touching his own concussion missiles over there. Gross."_

_"Warp, I-"_

"I'm trying to hold out though. You wanna know why?" asked Skywarp, whispering out loud. He reached around and walked his fingers down the side of Thundercracker's cockpit, down to the sensitive junction of his hip. "Because I wanna come later," he said. "Screaming. With you inside me."

An indignant shriek rang out over the bond, making both Thundercracker and Skywarp jump.

Starscream addressed them privately for the first time. _"Will you two idiots knock it off? You're turning me on more and messing up my timing."_

 _"Starscream,"_ said Thundercracker. _"Do you want us to-"_

 _"I want you to sit there and be quiet."_ Starscream smiled at Megatron, sweet and toxic. _"I have him right where I want him."_

_"What!?!"_

Megatron returned the smile, a wicked look that was more leer than grin, and one he _never_ used on any of the other troops. He raised his free hand to cup Starscream's cheek, his thumb rattling lightly against the Seeker’s lips.

Thundercracker enhanced his visual feed. Was Megatron’s hand…trembling? It was. A tiny tremor, barely enough to be noticeable, but it was there.

For all his casual bluster, perhaps Megatron wasn't quite as unaffected by the whole show as he pretended to be. _"Skywarp,"_ said Thundercracker, _"did you see his hand shake?"_

_"Frag his hand. Sweet Primus, Megatron's about to kiss him."_

Megatron bent down, lips hovering inches from Starscream's. The Seeker had given up all pretense of struggling, and he grabbed the back of Megatron's neck. His vents heaved, wings twitching as he tipped his head up.

The room fell completely silent. Everyone leaned forward in breathless anticipation of what would happen next. Overlord's chair collapsed and deposited him on the floor. He didn't even seem to notice.

Thundercracker’s transistors switched on and off, sending current flowing haphazardly through his frame. He watched, disbelieving, as his leaders moved closer, Megatron's fingers still working Starscream's aching valve.

Skywarp tapped him on the hip. _"TC?"_

 _"I don't..."_ Thundercracker’s cooling fans switched to their highest setting. Half of his bodily functions were out of his control. _"I just don't know what to do."_

 _"Stop thinking. You don't have to do anything,"_ said Skywarp. _"You're exactly where you're supposed to be. Soon Screamer's gonna come, Megs will end the meeting, and I'll warp us back to our quarters and we can frag each other 'til we strip our gears. Sound like a plan?"_

 _"Yeah."_ Thundercracker nodded, somewhat reassured by the confidence coming from Skywarp. _"Yeah, that sounds good."_ It sounded more than good. A plan. Direction in life. For the next few hours anyway. He grabbed at the idea like a lifeline.

Skywarp turned and placed a messy kiss on Thundercracker's helm. _"Don't ever leave me, TC."_

Thundercracker couldn't answer, too focused on aggressively shutting down his self-lubricating protocols. Soon. Soon the meeting would be over and he could escape with Skywarp. They had a _plan_ , and all he had to do was follow it and everything would be fine.

So it was to Thundercracker's immense anguish when, just before their lips met, Megatron pulled away and unceremoniously tossed Starscream out of his lap.

Heedless to the lubricant on his fingers and the groans of disappointment hanging in the air, Megatron picked up another datapad. “Moving on,” he said evenly. “Let’s discuss our newest battle strategy against the Autobots…”

 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, slag! I wrote a sequel: [The Ribald Revenge of Air Commander Starscream.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3353483)


End file.
